Polytechnics have become ambassadors of Russian education and science

The Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation hosted the third ceremony of awarding the title of «Ambassador of Russian Education and Science.» Valery Falkov, Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, presented honorary badges to eleven foreign representatives, including two graduates of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. They were Liu Wei, Secretary General of the Institute of Russia at Tsinghua University (China), and Issa Togo, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Mali in St. Petersburg, Associate Professor at SPbPU.

This award is a recognition of their many years of work to strengthen the international authority of Russian education and science. The Ambassadors’ mission is to promote Russia’s educational opportunities and scientific achievements on leading international platforms.

Receiving the high rank, Liu Wei shared her sincere and warm memories of the years she spent in Russia: It is a great honor for me to receive the title of Ambassador of Russian education and science. The development of Russian-Chinese cooperation in the field of science and education is my constant mission, and I have been lucky enough to be an envoy between our countries for almost 25 years.

The work of both new ambassadors has been making a significant contribution to strengthening international relations for decades. Liu Wei has been in charge of scientific and technical cooperation with the Russian Federation since 2002. She actively developed human resources by organizing innovation dialogues, training courses for oil companies, student camps, and creating infrastructure projects such as language testing and standardization centers.

In his speech, Valery Falkov noted the growing role of ambassadors in the development of interuniversity contacts, the increase in the number of joint projects and the growing interest in studying in Russia. Today, more than 414,000 foreigners from 184 countries study at Russian universities, and by 2030 it is planned to accept up to half a million foreign students, the Minister said. For this purpose, active work is underway: modernization of infrastructure, construction of new campuses and the introduction of grant support covering not only tuition, but also accommodation with travel.

Issa Togo, a 1985 graduate, rose from the leader of the Malian community at Leningrad Polytechnic Institute to the architect of higher education reform in Mali, being a member of the Expert Group on the creation of a new polytechnic University in Mali. Today, as Honorary Consul of Mali in St. Petersburg, he coordinates a large-scale Russian-Malian project to build a hydroelectric complex that solves the problems of energy supply, water supply and flood protection.

SPbPU is one of the founders and the most active participants in the consortium for the implementation of the Ambassadors of Russian Education and Science program. Polytech is proud that the contribution of its graduates to the promotion of Russian education and science is highly appreciated at this level, and now as many as four SPbPU’s graduates have this honorary title.

Since the launch of the program in 2023, a total of 24 international experts have been awarded the title of ambassador. It is planned that by 2030 the pool of ambassadors will be expanded to 250 representatives from 60 countries, which will open new pages in promoting Russian education and science on the global stage.